Logistics for Patagonia---money and plug adaptors

Sounds like my trip back in 2002. From Santiago, flew to Peurto Montt, Navimag Ferry to Peurto Natales, to El Calafate to visit Moreno Glacier and some great steak, then back to Peurto Natales to Punta Arenas for a flight back to Santiago.

Have you visited Central or South America before?

The Navimag ferry along the fiords was the best part of the trip, Moreno Glacier and El Calafate were a close second.

I don't remember which electrical outlet adapters I used but I remember carrying several. Back then there were two ATMs in El Calafate that were easy to access and several banks.

For more current information consider posting on Lonely Planet's Thorntree forum. I knew very little Spanish, the basics, but managed to get by without difficulty.

I always carry a six foot power cord, i put the adapter on the cord then use regular plugs from there. I also carried a power converter.

I am going next wk to your areas of interest. If i remember i can post when i return mid december. We will be part of a guided tour, so planning is less intense.

Lola,

Plug Adaptor question answered in your other thread.

Regarding "warnings about safety or scams", I assume you've read these......

• https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/argentina.html
• https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/chile.html

Some other websites of interest.....

• http://www.discoverbuenosaires.com/using-atm-argentina
• https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-south-america/chile/chile-warning

The Thorn Tree website would probably be a good place to get answers, as there's a very well travelled group there. If I were in the same situation, I'd try to estimate how much cash I'd need in each country and obtain that prior to travel (even if that means using one of the exorbitant currency exchange joints at the airport). I've found on a few occasions that hotels will sometimes exchange currency for guests, but I'm not sure if that's the case in either of the locations you're visiting.

"Anything else we should be thinking about now or be ready for when we arrive?" It would be a good idea to read the "Safety & Security* section on the State Department website above, especially regarding Taxis.

Thanks!

JS--what company are you using for your guided trip?

We looked at many, but the ones I recall are Andes Adventures, Bio Bio, REI Adventures, National Geographic, and Mountain Travel Sobek. We wanted maximum hiking, include the W trek or most of it, minimum boat time, fewest internal flights, and overnights in inns rather than refugios. The first two did not offer exactly what we wanted, and the REI trip is multi-sport. The last two were a good fit, and it turns out MTS is the actual operator for the National Geo trip. We ended up with MTS, In part because the CEO and I are alumni of the same Bay Area university and have some mutual friends. But they get excellent reviews.

I hope you will post a review of your trip or PM me and let me know how it went.

Ken---thank you for the links. I do have a couple of guidebooks but the Fodors one has very small print, hard for my old eyes.

I did not realize the State Department country information had a whole section on safety--that is quite informative. In Chile the only city of concern is Santiago, and I have read on the Tripadvisor forums of possible taxi scams. We arrive in Santiago in the morning after an overnight flight from Miami. We will spend that night in Santiago and catch a flight to Punta Arenas in Patagonia the following day. I have booked an airport hotel for our one night so we can go straight there and drop our bags before going into the city for sightseeing. Apparently the "official" airport taxis are prepaid inside the terminal and quite safe, so we mY do that. Or we could take the city bus.

Our tour company advises we can use US dollars in both countries but we do not wish to. I may do as you suggest and get money before the trip, from our bank or Travelex, even though it costs more than local ATMs. We won't need much, and whatever we have left when we leave Chile for Argentina can be used to tip guides. Same with Argentine pesos when we depart Buenos Aires.

I am looking forward to the trip, but it is a long way to Patagonia. Our last Southern Hemisphere trip was to Australia and New Zealand, and that 15-hour flight was tough. This one is broken up into separate legs on different days, so no single flight is more than 10 hours, but still a long way! The New Zealand trip was to celebrate my husband's 70th, and this one is to celebrate mine. We need to do this stuff before we get any older. As it is, we are shut out of one glacier trek on our trip because we are over 65.

We have been to South America twice and especially love Chile and Argentina. We did cruises that also included land tours. Patagonia is fascinating and I think you will enjoy your trip.

Chile is a very stable country and so is its currency, however Argentina has had borderline hyper inflation. For years, Argentina had currency controls that led to a kind of black market for Argentine Pesos (called the Blue Market). The current president, removed those control a few months ago, so I believe there is no more Blue Market.

ATMs are easy to use in both countries, but I have not been to the more remote areas that you plan to visit. Since you start from Santiago, buy some Chilean currency there. As for Argentine Pesos, suggest using bank ATMs. You may be able to get by with US dollars. I am sure your guide can assist you. Credit cards from N. America are no problem in both countries. By the way, the best steak that I have ever eaten was in Argentina. In Chile, crab and sea bass are fantastic and not expensive. Be sure to try some empanadas.

The only place you can get Argentinian currency is in Argentina, it's been so unstable that no other country will accept or exchange it. So you'll have to get from ATMs or at "cambio" storefronts (which may have long lines). Early this year in Buenos Aires there were still signs of the "blue market" in the form of guys repeating "cambio cambio cambio" in tourist areas -- should be ignored. ATMs had low withdrawal limits and steep fees. And we were advised that any Argentinian pesos we took out of the country would be worthless elsewhere, so I spent the last few on souvenirs in Ushuaia (we were on a cruise).

Sounds like you'll have a great trip. We liked Punta Arenas, interesting and walkable. We didn't experience its legendary wind, but we were told that around October it gets so windy they run rope railings along the sidewalks for people to hang onto as they walk. We also enjoyed a few days in Santiago. I think you'll be OK with any taxi you get from the official line at the airport, or one your hotel calls for you. The Metro is also easy for getting around the city, but use Paris-type precautions with your stuff.